Headgate form



Aug. 18, 1953 I F. WALTON HEADGATE FORM Filed July 14, 1951 -HMVQ Ina/glam,

INVENTOR L YLE f. ML 70% ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 18, 1953 UNI TED S TATES PATEN T v OFFICE HEADGATE FORM Lyle F. Walton, Rupert, Idaho Application July 14, 1951, Serial 'No. 236,767

y invention relates to forms 'for concrete or similar moldable material that is particularly adapted to the making of irrigation headgates.

In agriculture, irrigation water is distributed along the end or side of a field in an open ditch with dirt banks, the water being admitted to the field through openings or cut-outs in the dirt banks. To :prevent erosion at the cut-outs and to regulate the flow, concrete headgates {are widely used, the conventional headgate being a length of pipe or tile with a slab of concrete cast perpendicularly across one end. One face ofthe slab is carefully smoothed so "that a flat rectangulartin slide will make a fairly tight seal with the slab. The Slide is moved, in guide slots in the slab, across the end of the tile to valve the water flow through the tile.

Heretofore, the forms for molding the headgate have been quite complex, they usually being of the knock-down type to make them removable from the Various reverse draft surfaces of the finished headgate. A clean smooth flat surface, to which the metal slide must make a water seal, and obstruction free guide slots are particularly difiicult to make. Further, the conventional form is deep, and requires considerable tamping. Still further, the guide slots for the conventional headgate is dead-ended, so that moss and trash caught in the slot will wedge against the slide and cannot be cleared.

An object of my invention is an improved headgate form.

A more specific object of my invention is a headgate form that is shallow and easy to load and to remove from the casting, that leaves smooth sealing surfaces on the headgate, that is simple in construction and easy to manufacture.

Other objects and features of this invention will become apparent, and the essence of the invention will be best understood by reference to the one embodiment thereof described in the following specification and shown in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my improved headgate form, and of a headgate made therein;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of my improved form taken on line 22 of Fig. 1, with a headgate casting in place;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of my form, similar to the form of Fig. 2, and taken on line 33 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

The headgate form of my invention comprises a rectangular or square pan having relatively 1 Glaim. (Cl. 25-118) shallow sides and having a flattened bottom with two spaced parallelribs terminating at their ends atopposite sides, respectively, of the pan. Said opposite vsides each have a narrow slot parallel to .the bottom of the pan and in registry with the upper edge of said ribs. A flat rectangular sheet metal plate extends through the slots and rests upon said edges of the ribs.

In use, the plate is inserted inthe .slots,..a pipe or precast cylindrical tube .or tile is stood on the plate, and the pan filled with concrete or similar coalescent material. When the materiallis set, the plate is withdrawnand the finished headga'te isliited from the pan.

A finished headgate made in my improved 'form and shown in Fig. 1, comprises a tile l sealed at one end in a rectangular slab 2 of concrete normal to the center line of the tile. The tin slide 3 moves across the end of the tile, in guide slots 4.

The pan 5 of Fig. 1 has a large flattened bottom 6, with four relatively shallow sides 1, 8, 9 and ID, the sides being inclined outwardly slightly from perpendiculars to the bottom. The length, width, and side height are adjusted to the dimensions of the headgate desired. While the pan may be fabricated with any material that will hold concrete, sheet metal is preferred and is shown. Two spaced ribs l I and I2 on the pan bottom are parallel to each other and preferably parallel to one side of the pan. The distance between the ribs is measured by the desired width of the headgat opening. With a sheet metal pan, the ribs conveniently comprise so-called slit and bends made by cutting and inwardly bending long narrow lips from the pan bottom. The height of the ribs above the pan bottom equals the desired thickness of the flange over the slide guide slots 4 of the finished headgate. Long narrow cutouts l3 and M in the sides of the pan at the ends of the ribs are on a level with, or are in registry with, the upper edges of the ribs. A rectangular fiat slide plate 15, of a width equal to the width of the finished headgate slide 3, but preferably slightly thicker, is inserted through the cutouts so that the plate rests on the ribs. If desired, the rectangular slide plate may comprise two complementary trapezoidal pieces [6 and H, the large end of each pipe having a hole I8. By tapping on the small end of one piece, the plate is loosened in the form for easy removal, the holes being used to insert a tool for pulling.

I have had considerable success in manufacturing headgates having various inside diameters from two inches to twenty-four inches. To make the popular eight-inch headgate, for example, a.

standard eight inch concrete tile is stood on end on the slide plate in the center of the pan. Soft concrete or mortar is spouted or shoveled into the pan and settled by vibration or light tamping and trowling. Good adhesion to the end of the tile is obtained with a mixture consisting of one part of fresh Portland cement, five parts of sand and two parts of gravel with only enough water to make a damp workable stifi batch. My form, of stamped sheet metal, leaves the face corners nicely rounded and substantially chip proof. With the entire top side of the pan open, the pans are easily cleaned between batches, and long rows of the pans are quickly filled with little danger of occluded air bubbles.

One of the characteristic features of my invention is the shortened curing time required for the poured concrete. The most fragile part of the headgate is the overhanging flange or'lip of the slide guide slot, which heretofore required a fairly hard set before the forms could be removed. In my form, these flanges are supported by the ribs and pan bottom as the plates are withdrawn and are lifted from the pan with little danger of fractures after only six hours of curing. A lubricant smeared on the wetted surfaces of the pan and plate is desirable. The considerable relief or draft of all surfaces of the form on the casting undoubtedly contributes to the fracturefree operation of the form. If the corners of the pan at the junctions of the sides are left open, the side may flex slightly when moved and facilitate removal of the form.

A characteristic and highly desirable feature 4 of my headgate is the straight-through slide guide slots. Since the slots are open at both ends, any dirt or trash carried into the slots by irrigation water may be pushed out with the slide.

While I have revealed the principles of my invention in the description of a specific embodiment, it is to be understood that such a description is but an example thereof and should not be construed as a limitation to the scope of my invention.

I claim:

A concrete headgate form comprising a rectangular pan, said pan having relatively shallow sides and having a flattened bottom with two spaced parallel slit-and-bends, the bends being turned inwardly of the pan and terminating at their ends at opposite sides respectively of the pan, said opposite sides each having one slot in registry with the inturned edges of said bends, and a sheet-like plate extending through both slots and resting upon the inturned bend edges.

LYLE F. WALTON.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 668,862 Therien Feb. 26, 1901 704,971 Campbell July 15, 1902 725,098 Learned Apr. 19, 1903 999,457 Kellar Aug. 1, 1903 1,049,436 Woolf Jan. '7, 1913 1,550,950 Cowell Aug. 25, 1925 2,473,824 Shumway June 21, 1949 

